AL-ANDALUS FILM SERIES // Le Destin by Youssef Chahine and I Found My Love in Massara by Stephanie Amin
When: Thursday, May 15, 2025, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: Alfred Hitchcock Cinema, ArtsOne Building, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road London E1 4PA
Screenings of "Le Destin" by Youssef Chahine and "I Found My Love in Massara" by Stephanie Amin, organised by the Digital Al-Andalus team (School of the Arts, QMUL) and discussion with Dr Eric Calderwood, author of "Colonial Al-Andalus".
The Digital Al-Andalus team at the School of the Arts is thrilled to invite you to its first ever screening from the "Al-Andalus in Film" series showcasing representations of the eight centuries of Muslim rule over Iberia on screen from around the world.
They launch this series with the screening of two films, the short movie I Found My Love in Massara" directed and starred by the RA of our project, Stephanie Amin, and "Le Destin" by the renown Egyptian director Youssef Chahine.
Films
"Le Destin" by Youssef Chahine
Egypt-France / Fiction / 135' / 1997
Synopsis
Alarmed by the rise of religious fundamentalism in Egypt in the 1990’s, Chahine created an historic epic centered on the philosopher Ibn Rushd (known in the West as Averroes) and set in medieval Cordoba, Spain where – under Arab rule – a secular and multicultural society flourished. To make his point, Chahine concocts the story of a young Arab man lured away from his “decadent” lifestyle and indoctrinated into a fundamentalist sect. Though the film operates as a sincere and moving plea for tolerance and a timely warning against violent religious extremism, Chahine also provides plenty of spectacles, including a steamy romance and lots of song and dance. (Harvard Film Archive)
"I Found My Love in Massara" by Stephanie Amin
Egypt / Documentary / 15' / 2023
Synopsis
Stephanie makes a life-changing decision on Christmas Day 2021: returning to Cairo after two and a half years in Paris to direct her debut short. Lost between two countries and two careers, she decided to delve into the remnants of Cinema Massara.
A discussion with Dr Eric Calderwood, author of "Colonial Al-Andalus" will follow the screenings.
On the Project
The ‘Digital Al-Andalus: Radical Perspectives Of and Through Al-Andalus’ (ERC selected, UKRI funded) project explores the amalgamation of historical events, politicized narratives, nostalgia for lost empires, cultural diversity, and violent actions in the realm of digital media.
Stay tuned for the launch of their website soon with more details and activities.
For information, feel free to contact Stephanie at stephanie.amin@qmul.ac.uk or the project's PI, Dr. Cristina Moreno-Almeida (IHSS Fellow at the School of Arts) at c.morenoalmeida@qmul.ac.uk.
Image: still from "I Found My Love in Massara" by Stephanie Amin